White Paper Planning
When NOT to use a white paper
I believe white papers are the most powerful form of content any B2B company can produce. But there are times when using a white paper may not be the best choice to reach an audience. Whether you’re a white paper copywriter or a B2B marketer, remember that a white paper may not work well in any of these situations:…
Read MoreWhy you should include video in your next white paper
There is a good reason to include video in your next white paper. Your white paper reader is changing. Today’s decision-makers are pressed for time and attention. Like all of us, they’re distracted by social media, e-mail, workday interruptions, and way too much content coming their way. They also face meetings, reports to write, decisions to make. The result is…
Read MoreWhere to find stock photos for white papers and B2B marketing
At That White Paper Guy, we really like using stock photos, both in white papers and in our social media. When you find realistic-looking stock photos, they can retain readers who would otherwise be put off by a wall of gray text. To help you make your content more interesting, we’ve done some research on the…
Read MoreHow to create a white paper mashup
What if you need a white paper that’s more than just one flavor? As you know, I believe there are three main “flavors” of white papers. Vanilla: A backgrounder zooms in on a certain product or service. Ideal for prospects doing a technical evaluation near end of the sales funnel. Chocolate: A problem/solution zooms out to show an industry-wide problem…
Read More10 ways to be a good SME
This article from guest contributor Janice King offers a new perspective on how to create high-quality marketing materials by putting together a subject matter expert and a writer. Keep these tips in mind if you provide subject knowledge or share a writer with the engineers and other experts in your company. Have you ever been a SME? As…
Read More"Cheat sheets" for white papers: a new format for you?
As a B2B marketer, you’re likely under pressure to empower your sales team with great content. Are your sales reps asking for something “short” they can hand out at a meeting or e-mail to prospects? Your reps may believe customers don’t want to read lengthy pieces and would prefer something shorter they can quickly skim. This…
Read MoreHow to clone a white paper for multiple audiences [with example]
Most white paper readers want content directed right to them. 6-minute read. Fair enough. Don’t you? But what if you have two or three different audiences, in different roles or sectors? How can you engage them all? Sure, you can always write a separate white paper for each audience. But what if your client or company…
Read MoreVideo and slide-share white papers: Do they work?
A colleague and I recently put together a talk on white papers done as videos and slide shows. Apryl Parcher is a white paper writer and social media expert from WhitePaperResults.com. Apryl and I wanted to respond to the new formats for white papers we’ve seen cropping up, especially videos and slide shows. We present a few…
Read MoreWhen is a white paper NOT a white paper?
Here’s a headline I spotted recently: “Big Truck TV Launches a New Online Video White Paper Channel.” Naturally I was curious. This turned out to be a set of presentations with a talking head giving advice to trucking companies. So what’s with calling these “white papers?” Some people are tempted to call anything they create…
Read MoreWhite paper success story: Vircom
When Montreal-based anti-spam software developer Vircom released a controversial white paper, their website started getting hits. A lot of hits. So many hits, in fact, that they wondered if someone had launched a denial-of-service (DoS) attack against the company. After the smoke cleared, the breakthrough report “Why Spammers Spam” had been downloaded 2,200+ times… sparked…
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